GOTTA SEE IT: Sharks’ Tribute to Rusanowsky

The San Jose Sharks honored Dan Rusanowsky and his recent induction into the Hall of Fame by commissioning an original work of art as a gift.

Courtesy of the Sharks, here’s a high-quality pic of the Frankie Galasso original. It highlights 10 important dates in team history:

What a tribute!

Here’s a rundown, chronologically, of arguably the 10-most important games in San Jose Sharks history, all called by Rusanowsky:

Apr. 30, 1994: “Jamie Baker scores at 13:25 of the third period to lead the underdog Sharks to a Game 7 victory over the Red Wings – their first-ever playoff series win!”

Mar. 10, 2002: “Evgeni Nabokov becomes the first goaltender to score a power play goal”

Nov. 30, 2005: “Sharks acquire Joe Thornton from the Bruins”

Oct. 8, 2013: “Tomas Hertl scores 4 goals against the New York Rangers, including a ‘between-the-legs’ shot”

Feb. 21, 2015: “The Sharks host the LA Kings in 2015 Stadium Series game in front of 70,205 fans”

Jun. 4, 2016: “Joonas Donskoi’s overtime goal in Game 3 against the Pittsburgh Penguins gives the Sharks their first-ever victory in the Stanley Cup Finals”

Jan. 23, 2017: “Patrick [Marleau] scores 4 third period goals against the Colorado Avalanche, tying an NHL record for most goals in a period”

Feb. 18, 2019: “Joe [Thornton] records a ‘hat trick’, his first in eight seasons”

Apr. 23, 2019: “Barclay Goodrow’s overtime goal caps a miraculous, come-from-behind series victory against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 7!”

Apr. 19, 2021: “Patrick Marleau plays in his record-setting 1,768th regular season NHL game, surpassing hockey legend Gordie Howe”

Rusanowsky also gave a short-but-sweet speech and the San Jose Sharks gave a Rusanowsky Rally Towel to all fans in attendance!

Photo: Hockey Shots/Dean Tait

Your 2023 Foster Hewitt Memorial Award winner, Dan Rusanowsky 👏 pic.twitter.com/QJ7YZNkc5Q

— Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) November 24, 2023

Tonight, the Sharks are honoring 2023 Foster Hewitt Memorial
Award recipient Dan Rusanowsky with a pre-game ceremony and a rally towel pic.twitter.com/d79DGNadhD

— Nikita Sokolov (@cwnikitasokolov) November 24, 2023

Special thanks to reader Zeke for the story idea.